Comments on: Review: Adobe Photoshop Express beta

Adobe's long-awaited, and long-hyped, 21st-century debut online.

[scotth92]

Lori - the title and therefore the summary, is terribly misleading. This is a BETA (as you note in the body of the article). It's highly unfair to both consumers and Adobe to lead with a presumption that this is a review of the final product.

[captain flummox]

I think Terms of Service are some of the most enlightening documents on the web, though they sure make you work for it.

[azwhall]

Adobe Photo Express, IT LOOKS TO BE A GOOD PROGRAM if you could sign up for it. I gave up after 8 sign up attempts, Adobe kept telling me to verify my email address and told me to check my email for a verification
NEVER RECIEVED AN EMAIL FROM ADOBE ASKING ME TO VERIFY MY EMAIL>
Looking at other photo album programs due to lack of response from aAdobe.

[rossmccloud]

try checking your spam trap. In Yahoo, the email verification response was sent IMMEDIATELY - but it landed in Yahoo's spam trap.

[parthushukla]

Used it today.....looks very good to me..........the verification takes long time to receive it though........overall........looks good. 2 gigs is not enough though.....

[Duke1001]

Thought I'd try the new service, wasn't able to get it to work so tried accessing my picasa account and it seems disabled (won't recognize the presence of the sd card in the slot. Went to Snapfish - same problem. I realize it's beta but any clues about how to restore my picasa or snapfish accounts would be appreciated. I uninstalled Adobe but picasa and snapfish remain inoperative.

[jerjer1]

When trying to join Photoshop Express, it refuses to accept my email address ("address not available"). It also asked that I use another address. Why? I only have one and I don't want a second one. Now what do I do?

[xxdesmusxx]

I agree that this could be a promising web app eventually, but right now the ToS is HORRENDOUS and it's no more useful than Flickr + Picnik.

[rossross]

Great Job on the Review. I played with Photoshop Express the last few days and it works well. I like the very easy to use interface. For now, it does still lack many of the features of it's competitors. Great Potential!

I would like to see you guys write a comparison of Express, Picnik and FotoFlexer.

I use Photoshop Elements now and I would love to get away from the software and move to a web 2.0 service. Adobe Photoshop Elements would do well to create a conversion solution to their other photo products. The Tags (Categories) in Elements do not convert to any other products in Adobe or to their Competitors.

Hey Developers.... there is a great opportunity to make lots of money in this product area...... write a conversion product from Photoshop Elements to Adobe Competitors or to Adobe's higher-end Products..... I'd buy it!

[storydavid]

Hi Rossross, actually, the Photoshop Elements migration is already in the various products.

1) For getting your tags to any other company's app, you can simply select the photos you wish to push the metadata into, and choose "File -> Write Keyword Tag and Properties Into Photo."

2) Lightroom reads the above, but also contains an option for reading a Photoshop Elements catalog and converting it to a Lightroom catalog...don't have it handy right now but look on the File or for Import from Photoshop Elements.

Hope that helps...and it's already free. :)

Dave

[DoctorJerry]

Signing up was not easy. Waited and waited for confirmation never got it and closed out the site. Checked email and there it was. Once I log on it was OK. Waiting to upload two 7MP pictures was like waiting for paint to dry. But once there, WOW. It was facinating and produced a nice range of options and control over the image. I was not able to save an image unless I overwrote the original-not good. But I was able to go back to the original very easily. I am so impressed that I prepared a 4 page manual for my students in digital photography. It is a program well worth keeping tabs on.

[Tigralady]

Thank you for this review. The concept of edited versions replacing original versions without a choice given is why I am here reading these reviews. Personally I fail to understand why any system would be designed this way. I am having the same problem with Picture Perfect that is distributed with Nikon cameras and have been searching for help. I love Picture Perfect's cropping tool, but NOT the fact that it messes up my original photo file. I want to chose which one to save, and when.

If anyone reads this who has a favorite SIMPLE to use editing software that does not change my original photo file, I'll appreciate the help. Right now I like my own filing system in My Pictures and don't need or want software that messes that up either. Just a simple edit (crop, red eye) and save option.

[DisappointedinPX]

I think Adobe owes PX users an explanation for why it would build an image editing service that does not allow you to resize images for the web, and does not offer the simple basic tools needed to resize for the web quickly and easily. I'm talking "features" that are fundamental, basic necessities in image editing. What size is the file? What are it's dimensions? What is it's file type? Can I export to a file type that is smaller in file size?

I was so excited for PX because it promised everyday web users an easy way to prepare raw images for display on websites, easily, free, and with Adobe's legendary image expertise behind it. Instead, so far, we've got a blemish removal tool for professional photographers.

Or, perhaps, we have a tool that's real purpose is to draw graphic experts and photographers in to try Adobe, so that it can upsell the desktop versions of Photoshop etc later. Perhaps I've misunderstood what PX was supposed to be from Day 1- is it simply a marketing trial version, a "gateway drug" for your more expensive software? (Sorry for the analogy, but it's the best that comes to mind.)

What we do not yet have is a simple yet powerful tool to empower people to prepare their images for web display that is quickly, easily, and with some style. If Adobe added just some basic functionality re: file size, dimensions, and export to various file types, then PX could get there.

[a3nnas]

I had no trouble registering and verification was quick also. The tool That I use the most and don't see here is the Lasso and the pen tools. I don't really know if PS express for the desktop has these but Photoshop does and the are indispensable for me. I'm not really qualified to comment because I m a fluent user of PS cs2 and FTP software but it was fun to play with. My advise though, Photoshop Elements is reasonable cheap and more features. Also you can get opensource FTP software to upload your phots to your website.
Paul

[the53rdcalypso]

Really the best part though is the automatic LOLCAT text feature: http://www.236.com/news/2008/03/28/photoshop_express_easy_uploade_5508.php

[c_sanders]

hi